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Show 822 ROEBUCK. continued to move, no n1ore of the last prayer of the good 111:1n 'nts hear 1 on cmth. . vVhcn Julia S:lW that he 'vas de:1d she chd not shed n. te:1r. She uttered not a 'vor<l nor a sigh. She plnccd l1is 1tCad in her lnp and kissed hjs lips, as she n1iOb 'ht have kissed hirn in his sleep. She gave no outward sign of sorrow ; her SOlTO\V \vas unnttcr[tble. Thus she sat, W"hen a gruff voice notified her that tho time hacl come for her to retire. She raised her ten.rle s eyes to the Jn[tn and said, in. a low voice, "1ny father is dead ; let 1ne stay 'vith hirn." 'l,he n1an re ... plied, not with particular rndenes~, but according to the habit of l1is place, "it is ag[tinst orders; you mn8t go." She quietly lifted that venerable head from her lap and laid it on the stra\\r. She kissed the cold lips once more, nnd then she rose up and 'valkecl :tway 'vithout a tear or a sigh. She 'vas benu1nbed 'vith despair. It was not until hours afterwards, it 'vas a~ midnight in the solitude of her chamber, that the icy rigor of despair melted into overflowing grief. The next morning she 'vas unable to rise from her bed. 1\lrs. West went out and made application for the body of Colonel Fairfax, in order that he might have the customary rights of sepulchre. Ilcr application was refused. lie \vas buried nn1ong strangers. Those \vho loved him cannot 'veep over the unknown grave of Fre<lerick Fairfax. R 0 Ell U C I(. 323 CIIAPTEJ~ XXXI. THE J~ND. IN a fe\v clays Julia ·was able to travel. Though feeble in body and bruised in spirit, she 'vonld uot rest lon<bY er fro1n the sad duties that remaiued for .her. She n1ust return to her n1othcr. She 1nu~t return ,vithout her father. She mtl. t bear tidings of his death to his heart-broken 'vifc. She n1u~t console her ,vido,ve<l n1othcr, or, as appeared n1orc probn.blc, smooth her path to the grave. On such melancholy duties the unhappy but unsclHsh girl bent her pious thoughts. . . . . At that time tho Fcdcr~l authontiCs 'vcrc pcrnutt1ng all ,vornen and children to go into the Coufederacy, and \Vcrc send in 0' thither s01ne of them 'vl1o 'vonld have preferred t~ rCJnain at their homes \Vithin tho Federal Jines. 1Vithout difficulty, therefore, 1\lrs. West procured a pa sport for Julia to go to Ricl11n~nd, and took passage for her upon a ste:unb~at~ wh1ch, under a flag of truce, landed passengers w1tlun a fe\v miles of the Confederate capital. Thus \vas she transported, \vith her btn·den of SOITO\V, to her aillicted bnt still beloved State. At I~iclunond she heard that Ilngh Fitzhugh had been dan<Ycrously 'vounJcd, and th:1.t Ke \Vas lying very low in tl~ county to which he had been taken by his 1uothcr. SoiTO\VS thickened about her at every step. That passionate love 'vhich, in young h?arts, rules with exclusive don1inion, 'vonld have earned her to the side of her wounded lover. She felt all the teu- |
